The Year 2012 Has Flown By....

.....And here are the highlights, all of which are subjective, my opinion, and in no particular order.

Danced one of the main roles in The Ballet Center's end of year recital. She was the Lion, in the Wizard of Oz. It was neat to see a lion dance on pointe.

Made the all A honor role for the last 3 quarters of 6th grade.
Had a great time at Chimney Corners Camp in Becket, MA again this Summer for the 5th year in a row. This year she was in the Dance cabin which meant that she the cabin activity every morning was dance, and then every afternoon and evening were regular camp activities. They also had a couple of field trips to nearby Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival to see performances and take a master class.
Made the A Capella singing group of fourteen 7th and 8th grade girls and got to perform Barrington's Festival of Lights celebration a few weeks ago.
Is dancing four days a week as of this Fall. She's taking ballet technique 3x a week, pointe 2x a week, jazz, hip hop and tap once a week each. I do have a carpool, but still spend a lot of time driving back and forth.
Flew alone on an airplane for the first time to visit my sister in Baltimore for Spring break.
Got her ears pierced in August.
Enjoys participating in Middle School Youth Group at St. John's church.
Turned the big 13 on October 7 and had an overnight trip to Natick, MA with two friends for the fun of staying in a hotel with a pool, and also to go to the American Girl Doll Store.

Was promoted to Full Professor at the Naval War College this Fall
Went from occassional blogger at The Diplomat online blog/journal to being a regular featured author and defense analyst.
Continues to bike along the scenic East Bay bike path
Was the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day event in Mattapoisett, MA
Books co-written with Toshi Yoshihara, Strategy in the Second Nuclear Age, came out in October.
Visited Paris for the first time in June, and had his way paid by the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales (IFRI)

Tagged along with Jim to Paris -- we decided it was worth paying for my airfare to kick off the beginning of our 25th year as a married couple. We celebrated our 24th Anniversary June 11. Emma was at camp anyway so we had the BEST time together exploring and being a couple.
We had a great family vacation trip to Williamsburg, VA over February break.
Began my first year on the Vestry of St John's Episcopal Church in Barrington where we are members. The Vestry is sort of like a Board of Directors.
Attended my 30th High School Reunion in Baltimore, and had a terrific time. Lots of us came back and I stayed up until 2am talking with old friends.
Spoke on using Google for Legal Research at the Annual Massachusetts Paralegal Association meeting in Boston, and also gave the same talk as a webinar for the Institute for Paralegal Education
Attended the American Association of Law Libraries conference in Boston in July for the first time in three years, and had a great time learning and hanging out with other law librarians, including my friends from University of Georgia Law Library. Particularly enjoyed showing my Athens friend Wendy around Rhode Island for a couple of days after the conference.

Loved watching Emma dance in her recital, and listening to her sing.
Survived another Mom's Weekend at Chimney Corner's Camp in record July heat. Note that we sleep in tents and spend most of the time outdoors -- so no air conditioning.
Love my Book Club and Book Club friends. Really enjoyed taking part in my friend Cynthia's final project for a photography class at the Rhode Island School of Design. You can see the photos on her blog Flotsam of the Mind.
Thankful for the extra time I got to spend with my sister, nephew and niece and Mom when Mom was in the hospital this Summer -- so very grateful for her recovery.
Got a bonus for working for Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP for five years. Can't believe we've been here that long.
Thankful for my adopted local family who we spent Easter and Thanksgiving with -- the Herlihy sisters and families -- and for watching my god-daughter Rose grow into a lovely two year old

Sacred Ordinariness